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m-Benzoquinones are often regarded as unstable materials in the form of radicals. Herein, an air-stable small molecular m-benzoquinone [4,6-diamino-1,3-benzoquinone (4,6DA1,3BQ)] without bulky grou...

The thermal decomposition of AgNO3 is known to produce metallic Ag, but single-atomic dispersion is hard to achieve instead of the aggregation state of nanoparticles. Herein, we develop an efficient approach to thermally generate and stabilize single Ag atoms via the coordination effect. Two desired Co-Ag phosphonates [AgI2CoIII2(notpH3)2(NO3)]X [X = NO3− (1) or ClO4− (2)] were synthesized by solid-phase grinding method or solution crystallization. Both crystal structures reveal slightly different packing arrangements of various lattice anions and identical one-dimensional (1-D) coordination chains, formed in each case by the coordination of Ag(I) to the metalloligand Co(notpH3) and NO3− anion. The number of Ag ions connected to each NO3− anion reduces from 5 in bulk AgNO3 to 2 in compounds 1 and 2, leading to the AgNO3 component stepwise decomposition at a lower temperature (

Continuous capacity increase in electrochemical cycling, termed as electrochemical activation, is a frequently observed but rarely systematically studied phenomenon. Such phenomenon is noted in a preliminary study of carbon cathode for dual ion battery, showing gradual discharge capacity growth from 186 mAh g−1 (the 1st) to 320 mAh g−1 (the 300th). Systematical characterizations are carried out to investigate this phenomenon occurred on the carbon cathode, hydrothermally reduced graphene oxide (HrGO). The electrochemical activation comes from surface area increment, originated from multilayer reduced graphene oxide rolls formation and accumulation and structural order increase in cycling. The formation of rolls is plausibly a result of strain release of reduced graphene layers after electrochemical interaction with PF6−. Additionally, charge storage mechanism of HrGO is revealed. At active surface sites of HrGO, PF6− is consistently stored in a pseudocapacitive manner. In contrast, at well-crystallized domains, pseudocapacitive PF6− uptake occurs at low voltage region while PF6− intercalation dominates at higher potentials. Supportive lithium storage also contributes to total capacity. Comprehensively, this work offers valuable insights of electrochemical activation and carbon cathodes’ electrochemical behaviors and will facilitate the construction of high-capacity carbon cathodes.

Hydrogen isotopes are the main fuel in the fusion reactor, and the separation of hydrogen isotope gas mixture is the key process for the operation of fusion reactor. Cryogenic gas chromatography is an effective method which can be used for both separation and analysis of hydrogen isotopes. The chromatographic stationary phase determines the hydrogen isotopes separation performance. In this study, a series of pillared-layer MOFs Ni2(L)2 (dabco) (H2L: 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (H2bdc), 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (H2ndc), 9,10-anthracenedicarboxylic acid (H2adc); dabco: 1,4-diazabicyclo-[2.2.2]octane) were synthesized by changing the bridging dicarboxylate ligands with different steric hindrance. The effect of MOFs structure on hydrogen isotope interaction strength was studied by isothermal adsorption experiments of pure H2 and D2 at 77 K and 87 K, and programmed temperature desorption experiments of H2-D2 mixture from 25 K to 120 K. The enrichment factor for D2 over H2 up to 6.8 was obtained for Ni2(adc)2 (dabco) by static adsorption experiment of H2-D2 mixture. Finally, the MOFs composites Ni2(L)2 (dabco)@γ-Al2O3 were obtained by in situ solvothermal reaction loading MOFs on γ-Al2O3, and cryogenic gas chromatographic separation performance of H2-D2 and H2-HD-D2 mixtures using three composites-packed columns at liquid nitrogen temperature was investigated. The optimum separation was achieved when Ni2(adc)2 (dabco)@γ-Al2O3 was used as stationary phase due to strongest interaction strength with hydrogen isotope. The separation resolution R (H2/HD) and R (HD/D2) is up to 1.31 and 3.26 respectively.

In this work, a ratiometric electrochemical sensor was constructed for the detection of Pb2+ based on a bismuth nanocluster-anchored porous activated biochar (BiNCs@AB) composite. BiNCs with loose structure and AB with abundant oxygen-containing functional groups are favorable for Pb2+ adsorption and preconcentration; meanwhile, porous AB provides more mass transfer pathways and increases electronic and ion diffusion coefficients, realizing high sensitivity for Pb2+ detection. At the same time, BiNCs were proposed as an inner reference for ratiometric electrochemical detection, which could greatly enhance the determination accuracy. Under optimized experimental conditions, the anodic peak current ratio between Pb2+ and BiNCs exhibited a good linear relationship with the concentration from 3.0 ng/L to 1.0 mg/L. The detection limit can be detected down to 1.0 ng/L. Furthermore, the proposed sensor demonstrated good reproducibility, stability, and interference resistance, as well as satisfactory recoveries for the detection of Pb2+ in real samples.

Bi- or multimetallic catalytic sites exhibit particularly high catalytic activities in contrast to regular single-atom catalysts. Until recently, it has remained a great challenge to precisely regu...

Acetaminophen (APAP) is one of the major causes of drug-induced acute liver injury, and ethanol may aggravate APAP-induced liver injury. The problem of ethanol- and APAP-induced liver injury becomes increasingly prominent, but the mechanism of ethanol- and APAP-induced liver injury remains ambiguous. p38γ is one of the four isoforms of P38 mitogen activated protein kinases, that contributes to inflammation in different diseases. In this study we investigated the role of p38γ in ethanol- and APAP-induced liver injury. Liver injury was induced in male C57BL/6 J mice by giving liquid diet containing 5% ethanol (v/v) for 10 days, followed by gavage of ethanol (25% (v/v), 6 g/kg) once or injecting APAP (200 mg/kg, ip), or combined the both treatments. We showed that ethanol significantly aggravated APAP-induced liver injury in C57BL/6 J mice. Moreover, the expression level of p38γ was up-regulated in the liver of ethanol-, APAP- and ethanol+APAP-treated mice. Knockdown of p38γ markedly attenuated liver injury, inflammation, and steatosis in ethanol+APAP-treated mice. Liver sections of p38γ-knockdown mice displayed lower levels of Oil Red O stained dots and small leaky shapes. AML-12 cells were exposed to APAP (5 mM), ethanol (100 mM) or combined treatments. We showed that P38γ was markedly increased in ethanol+APAP-treated AML-12 cells, whereas knockdown of p38γ significantly inhibited inflammation, lipid accumulation and oxidative stress in ethanol+APAP-treated AML-12 cells. Furthermore, we revealed that p38γ could combine with Dlg1, a member of membrane-associated guanylate kinase family. Deletion of p38γ up-regulated the expression level of Dlg1 in ethanol+APAP-treated AML-12 cells. In summary, our results suggest that p38γ functions as an important regulator in ethanol- and APAP-induced liver injury through modulation of Dlg1. [Image: see text]

3Y-TZP/3wt% Al2O3 powder was coated with varying amounts of BN using the urea and borate reaction sintering method, and then multiphase ceramics were prepared by hot pressing sintering. The micro-topography and the compositional analysis of synthesized ceramics were conducted through scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. A mechanical tester was used to analyze the Vickers hardness, fracture toughness, and bending strength of the synthesized ceramics. The results showed that the ceramic with a BN content of 12wt% showed the best processability, but had diminished mechanical properties (such as fracture toughness and bending strength). The ceramic with a BN content of 9wt% showed better processability than those with 3wt% and 6wt% BN. However, the fracture toughness was affected by the addition of 9wt% BN, making this ceramic only usable as a base material for a three-unit fixed bridge. In contrast, the ceramics with a BN content of 3wt% or 6wt% fulfilled the criteria for use in multi-unit restoration, but their low processability made them unsuitable for milling after sintering.

A disulfonic acid functionalized ionic liquid, 1,3-disulfonic acid imidazolium chloride ([Dsim]Cl), was synthesized and utilized to prepare TiO2-based ionogel nanoparticles (TiO2-[Dsim]Cl) using a ...

Helical architectures with controllable helical sense bias have recently attracted considerable interest for mimicking biological helices and developing novel chiral materials. Coordination polymers (CPs), composed of metal ion nodes and organic linkers, are intriguing systems showing tunable structures and functions. However, CPs with helical morphologies have rarely been explored so far. Particularly, chirality inversion through external stimulus has not been achieved in helical CPs. In this work, we carried out an in-depth investigation on the self-assembly of 1D gadolinium(III) phosphonate CPs using GdX3 (X=Cl, Br, I) and Gd(RSO3 ) (R=CH3 , C6 H5 , CF3 ) as metal sources and R-(1-phenylethylamino)methyl phosphonic acid (R-pempH2 ) as ligand. Superhelices were formed by precise control of the interchain interactions through different intercalated anions. Furthermore, the twisting direction of superhelices could be controlled by synergistic effect of anions and pH. This study may provide a new route to fabricate helical nanostructures of CPs with a desirable chiral sense and help understand the inner mechanism of the self-assembly process of macroscopic helical structures of molecular systems.

Purpose This study aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of clarithromycin-naproxen-oseltamivir combination therapy to that of oseltamivir therapy alone in hospitalized pediatric influenza patients. Methods This prospective, single-blind study included children aged 1–18 years hospitalized with influenza, in MacKay Children’s Hospital, Taiwan, between December 2017 and December 2019. The primary outcomes were the time to defervescence and decrease of the Pediatric Respiratory Severity Score (PRESS) during hospitalization. The secondary outcomes were serial changes in virus titers, measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results Fifty-four patients were enrolled (28 in the control group and 26 in the combination group) in total. There were no differences in the patients’ baseline characteristics between the groups. The time to defervescence was significantly shorter in the combination group than the oseltamivir group (13.2 hours vs. 32.1 hours, p=0.002). The decrease in the virus titer from days 1 to 3 (log Δ13) was more pronounced in the combination group than the oseltamivir group. (39% vs. 19%, p=0.001). There were no differences in adverse effects such as vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain during the study or within 30 days after antiviral therapy. Conclusion The clarithromycin-naproxen-oseltamivir combination group experienced a more rapid defervescence and a more rapid decline of influenza virus titer than the group treated with oseltamivir alone. Further consideration should be given to whether the overall benefits of combination therapy in hospitalized pediatric influenza patients outweigh the risks.

An experimental investigation of the distribution characteristics of NO x conversion efficiency inside a selective catalytic reduction system is presented in this paper. Wash-coated and extruded vanadium-based selective catalytic reduction catalysts were investigated under an ANR (ammonia nitrogen ratio) of 1.0 and various exhaust gas temperature and flow rate conditions. A moveable sampling probe was located at various measuring points on the exit cross section of the selective catalytic reduction catalyst shell, and the final distribution maps of NO x conversion efficiency were obtained by the interpolation of measured data. The experimental result showed that the distribution of NO x conversion efficiency of the wash-coated selective catalytic reduction catalyst at the exit cross section was extremely nonuniform and the efficiency of the extruded SCR catalyst was uniform with a higher distribution at the center. A comparison experiment with 180° rotation of the selective catalytic reduction catalysts was implemented, and the efficiency distribution map of the wash-coated selective catalytic reduction catalyst also rotated 180° but that of the extruded selective catalytic reduction catalyst remained unchanged. The uniformity coefficient of the extruded selective catalytic reduction catalyst was higher than that of the wash-coated selective catalytic reduction catalyst used in this study.

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG or (2S,3R)-5,7-dihydroxy-2-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromen-3-yl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate) and its isomers gallocatechin gallate (GCG or (2R,3R)-2-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-1(2H)-benzopyran-3,5,7-triol 3-(3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate) are the main antioxidant components in tea polyphenols and tea. In this paper, the B3LYP density functional theory (DFT) was used to optimize the EGCG and GCG molecular configuration at the 6‑311G(d,p) level of theory implemented in Gaussian software. The result is convergent and has no imaginary frequency, indicating a stable structure that reaches minimum energy value. Multiwfn wave function analysis software was used to study the frontier orbitals of EGCG and GCG. The electrophilic and nucleophilic sites of the two molecules were predicted by the contribution of each atom to the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO). The results show that the electrophilic reaction is mainly on No.1 benzene ring, and the main contribution is the C atom, especially the para‑C atom of the C atom connected by the two phenolic hydroxyl groups on the benzene ring. At the same time, the activation of the phenolic hydroxyl group on the para- and ortho-C atoms on the benzene ring was verified. When there is a phenolic hydroxyl group on the benzene ring, its para- and ortho-C atoms become more active, and they are easier to lose electrons. So substitution or other reactions occurs. This site is also the main site against oxygen free radicals which is an accelerated aging substance. The nucleophilic sites are mainly around C=O and no. 3 benzene rings, so it has certain ability to obtain electrons. Finally, the active sites of EGCG were analyzed by using the two methods of Fukui function and mean partial ionization energy, and the results were basically consistent with the above.

Many functional activities of endometrium epithelium are energy consuming which are very important for maintaining intrauterine environment needed by early embryonic development and establishment of implantation window. Glucose is a main energy supplier and one of the main components of intrauterine fluid. Obviously, glucose transports in endometrium epithelium involve in for these activities but their functions have not been elucidated. In this research, we observed a spatiotemporal pattern of sodium glucose transporter 1 (SGLT1) expression in the mouse endometrium. We also determined that progesterone can promote the expression of SGLT1 in the mouse endometrial epithelium in response to the action of oestrogen. Treatment with the SGLT1 inhibitor phlorizin or small interfering RNA specific for SGLT1 (SGLT1-siRNA) altered glucose uptake in primary cultured endometrial epithelial cells, which exhibited reduced ATP levels and AMPK activation. The injection of phlorizin or SGLT1-siRNA into one uterine horn of each mouse on day 2 of pregnancy led to an increased glucose concentration in the uterine fluid and decreased number of harvested normal blastocysts and decreased expression of integrin αVβ3 in endometrial epithelium and increased expression of mucin 1 and lactoferrin in endometrial epithelium and the uterine homogenates exhibited activated AMPK, a decreased ATP level on day 4, and a decreased number of implantation sites on day 5. In embryo transfer experiments, pre-treatment of the uterine horn with phlorizin or SGLT1-siRNA during the implantation window led to a decreased embryo implantation rate on day 5 of pregnancy, even when embryos from normal donor mice were used. In conclusion, SGLT1, which participates in glucose transport in the mouse endometrial epithelium, inhibition and/or reduced expression of SGLT1 affects early embryo development by altering the glucose concentration in the uterine fluid. Inhibition and/or reduced expression of SGLT1 also affects embryo implantation by influencing energy metabolism in epithelial cells, which consequently influences implantation-related functional activities.

BACKGROUND: Powdery mildew affects grapevine growth and development and reduces grapevine fruit yield and quality. Plant U-box (PUB) E3 ubiquitin ligases play important roles in ubiquitin/proteasome-mediated protein degradation during plant development and in the plant defense response. OBJECTIVE: We cloned the VvPUB17 gene from Vitis vinifera and analyzed that VvPUB17 enhanced the resistance of grapevine to powdery mildew through the SA signal pathway. METHODS: Pathogen inoculation of Arabidopsis thaliana and grapevine plants was carried out by the tableting method. Gene expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. Sequence analysis and in vitro ubiquitination experiments show the structure and characteristics of VvPUB17. Exogenous salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, ethylene and powdery mildew induced the expression of VvPUB17 in Arabidopsis leaves to verify the resistance of VvPUB17 to powdery mildew. RESULTS: Sequence analysis and in vitro ubiquitination experiments show that VvPUB17 contains U-box and Armadillo repeats (ARM repeat) and has E3 ubiquitin ligase activity dependent on the conserved U-box motif. Transgenic plants showed elevated levels of key genes related to the SA defense response pathway and high concentrations of salicylic acid. CONCLUSIONS: VvPUB17 functions as an E3 ubiquitin ligase that enhances the resistance of grapes to powdery mildew through the SA signal pathway.

Purpose: There are limited data from Asian countries regarding retinal thickness in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). This study aimed to compare the macular and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) parameters between diabetic children without retinopathy and non-diabetic healthy children. We also evaluated the factors associated with RNFL thickness in children with T1DM.Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among children with T1DM and healthy children aged 7 to 17 years old in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia from 2017 to 2019. Children with retinal disease or glaucoma were excluded. Macular and RNFL thicknesses were measured using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Demographic information, duration of diabetes, blood pressure, body mass index, visual acuity, and retinal examination findings were documented. Glycosylated hemoglobin levels, renal function, and blood lipid levels were also collected.Results: Forty-one children with T1DM and 80 age- and sex-matched children were enrolled. Both sexes were affected. Mean duration of diabetes mellitus was 3.66 years. The mean glycated hemoglobin levels in the T1DM group was 9.99%. The mean macular and RNFL thicknesses in children with T1DM were 277.56 (15.82) µm and 98.85 (12.05) µm, respectively. Children with T1DM had a significantly thinner average macula, superior outer macula, nasal outer macula, mean RNFL, and inferior RNFL thickness compared to controls (p < 0.05). There was a significant association between nephropathy and the mean RNFL thickness.Conclusions: Children with T1DM had significantly decreased mean macular and RNFL thicknesses. Nephropathy is associated with an increased RNFL thickness.

Controllable synthesis of uniformly distributed nanowires of coordination polymers with inherent physical functions is highly desirable but challenging. In particular, the combination of chirality and magnetism into nanowires has potential applications in multifunctional materials and spintronic devices. Herein, we report four pairs of enantiopure coordination polymers with formulae S-, R-Dy(cyampH)3 ⋅ CH3 COOH ⋅ 2H2 O (S-1, R-1), S-, R-Dy(cyampH)3 ⋅ 3H2 O (S-2, R-2), S-, R-Dy(cyampH)2 (C2 H5 COO) ⋅ 3H2 O (S-3, R-3) and S-, R-Dy(cyampH)3 ⋅ 0.5C2 H5 COOH ⋅ 2H2 O (S-4, R-4) [cyampH2 =S-, R-(1-cyclohexylethyl)aminomethylphosphonic acids], which were obtained depending on the pH of the reaction mixtures and the specific carboxylic acid used as pH regulator. Interestingly, compounds 3 were obtained as superlong nanowires, showing 1D neutral chain structure which contains both phosphonate and propionate anion ligands. While compounds 1, 2 and 4 appeared as block-like crystals, superhelices and nanorods, respectively, and exhibited similar neutral chain structures containing only phosphonate ligand. Slow magnetization relaxation characteristic of single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior was observed for compounds S-1 and S-3. Theoretical calculations were performed to rationalize the magneto-structural relationships.

Objective Shockwave application is a potential treatment for osteoarthritis (OA), but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Oxidative stress and a counterbalancing antioxidant system might be the key to understanding this mechanism. We hypothesized that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2),which is an important regulator of cellular redox homeostasis, are plausible elements. Design Porcine chondrocytes were cultured in a 3-dimensional pellet model and subjected to shockwaves. The effects of shockwaves with various energy-flux densities on optimal extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis were assessed. ROS, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, and the redox activity of Nrf2 were measured. To investigate the signaling mechanism involved in the shockwave treatment in chondrocytes, specific inhibitors of ROS, MAPK signaling, and Nrf2 activity were targeted. Results Shockwaves increased ECM synthesis without affecting cell viability or proliferation. Furthermore, they induced transient ROS production mainly through xanthine oxidase. The phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38 and the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 were activated by shockwaves. By contrast, suppression of ROS signaling mitigated shockwave-induced MAPK phosphorylation, Nrf2 nuclear translocation, and ECM synthesis. Pretreatment of chondrocytes with the specific inhibitors of MEK1/2 and p38, respectively, mitigated the shockwave-induced nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and ECM synthesis. Nrf2 inhibition by both small hairpin RNA knockdown and brusatol reduced the shockwave-enhanced ECM synthesis. Conclusions Shockwaves activated Nrf2 activity through the induction of transient ROS signaling and subsequently enhanced ECM synthesis in chondrocytes. This study provided fundamental evidence confirming the potential of shockwaves for OA management.

Introduction: Candida species have been regarded as global health threats due to their ability to cause invasive infections. It is challenging to treat Candida bloodstream infections, which are associated with high mortality levels. Monotherapy with antifungals is sometimes not effective against severe Candida infections, and combination therapy is needed in clinical practice.Areas covered: This review was undertaken based on data from a PubMed search for English language reports published before March 2021 by using the terms 'caspofungin,' 'Candida species,' 'combination therapy,' 'antifungal effect,' and 'novel antifungal agent.'Expert opinion: Combination therapy is an empirical strategy for treating refractory Candida infections. Caspofungin has been recommended to treat candidaemia. Caspofungin in combination therapy has some applications, while the efficacy of combination therapy in the treatment of refractory Candida infections needs more study, such as randomized controlled trials. In addition, novel compounds or drugs with potential antifungal activities have been examined, and some of them exhibit synergistic interactions with caspofungin. Thus, the antifungal activity of caspofungin in combination with antifungals or non-antifungals against Candida species in vitro and in clinical therapy is summarized.

The study explored a new combination amine collector (XK-28) that can obtain better flotation index and defoaming rate for magnetic iron ore. A pure quartz mineral test indicates that dodecylamine, XK-I, or XK-II has good collection effect on quartz and their best flotation pH is in the range of 6–7. The experimental results of a combination collector (XK-I:XK-II = 2:8.) show that the separation effect for quartz and magnetite is better than that of a single collector. The single factor for actual mineral test shows that when the combined reagent is used as the collector, the best conditions are pH = 7, 90 g/t dosage, and XK-I:XK-II = 2:8, which is consistant with the pure mineral test. The difference for dodecylamine as a collector is that the optimal dodecylamine dosage is 60 g/t. Under the best conditions of actual ore test, dodecylamine and XK-28 are respectively used as the collector to compare the flotation indexes. Study results indicate the magnetite grade using XK-28 as the collector is higher by 3.02% than that of using dodecylamine, recovery is increased by 1.92% over that of using dodecylamine. Based on the measurement results of zeta potential, uses of XK-28 can slightly increase the zeta potential difference of quartz and magnetite to enhance the flotation effect. The mechanism of action between the XK-28 collector and the actual ore from the Gongchangling plant is physical adsorption, and this adsorption also has hydrogen bond formation. Contact angle results shows that XK-28 improves the hydrophobicity of quartz better than dodecylamine. Compared with dodecylamine, XK-28 is more sparsely arranged on the surface of the foam. The foam produced by the XK-28 collector has better air permeability and it is more likely to merge and disappear with bubbles.

The design of photochemical molecular devices (PMDs) for photocatalytic H2 production from water is a meaningful but challenging subject currently. Herein, a Pd2 L4 type metal-organic cage (denoted as MOC-Q2) is designed as a PMD, which consists of two catalytic centers (Pd2+ ) and four photosensitive ligands (L-2) with four pyridine anchoring groups. Subsequently, the MOC-Q2 is combined with TiO2 to form TiO2 -MOC-Q2 hybrid materials with different MOC-Q2 contents by a facile sol-gel method, which have micro/mesoporous structures and large surface areas. The optimized TiO2 -MOC-Q2 (6.5 wt%) exhibits high H2 production activity (7.9 mmol g-1 h-1 within 5 h) and excellent durability, giving a TON value of 23477 or 11739 (based on MOC-Q2 or Pd moles) after recycling for 7 rounds. By contrast, the pure MOC-Q2 only shows an ordinary photocatalytic H2 production rate (0.84 mmol g-1 h-1 within 5 h) in the homogeneous system. It can be deduced that TiO2 drives the photocatalysis and simultaneously acts as the structure promoter. This study presents a meaningful and distinctive attempt of a new approach for the design and development of MOC-based heterogeneous photocatalysts.

Nanostructured transition-metal oxides have been under intensive investigation for their tantalizing potential as anodes of next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the exact mechanism for nanostructures to influence the LIB performance remains largely elusive. In this work, we discover the nanostructure-mediated lithiation mechanism in Co3O4 anodes using ex situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffractometry: while Co3O4 nanosheets exhibit a typical two-step conversion reaction (from Co3O4 to CoO and then to Co0), Co3O4 nanoarrays can go through a direct conversion from Co3O4 to Co0 at a high discharge rate. Such nanostructure-dependent lithiation can be rationalized by the slow lithiation kinetics intrinsic to Co3O4 nanoarrays, which at a high discharge rate may cause local accumulation of lithium to initiate a one-step Co3O4-to-Co0 conversion. Combined with the larger volume change observed in Co3O4 nanoarrays, the slow lithiation kinetics can lead to inhomogeneous expansion with large stress developed at the reaction front, which can eventually cause structure failure and irreversible capacity loss, as explicitly observed by in situ TEM as well as galvanostatic discharge-charge measurement. Our observation resolves the nanostructure-dependent lithiation mechanism of Co3O4 and provides important insights into the interplay among lithiation kinetics, phase evolution, and lithium-storage performance, which can be translated into electrode design strategies for next-generation LIBs.

Giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is a rare, benign, but locally aggressive bone tumor. It has a high tendency for local recurrence, which may increase the incidence of lung metastasis. Currently, an optimal treatment strategy has not been established because of the rarity of pulmonary metastatic GCTB. Denosumab is the preferred regimen for unresectable metastatic lesions; however, there are no alternative treatment options when patients are resistant to denosumab. Apatinib is a small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor that selectively competes for the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) ATP binding site, and several studies have analyzed the effectiveness of apatinib in advanced or metastatic tumors. However, there is no report of apatinib as an anti-angiogenesis therapy for pulmonary metastatic GCTB to date. Here, we present a case of a 26-year-old female who was diagnosed with recurrent and pulmonary metastatic GCTB. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining indicated that the tumor cells were positive for VEGFR-2. Denosumab was administered to control the metastases; nevertheless, disease progression was confirmed after four months of treatment. Given the IHC results and rapid disease progression, apatinib was added to the treatment strategy. After 42 months of treatment, the patient showed noticeable symptomatic improvement and considerable tumor shrinkage.

Two previously undescribed dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, named sieverlignans D–E (1–2), as well as eight known ones (3–10), were isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia sieversiana. Their structures were elucidated from extensive spectroscopic analysis, including HRMS, NMR and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) experiments. This study is the first to report dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans in the genus Artemisia and this plant. All the compounds were evaluated for their anti-neuroinflammatory activities on the lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced nitric oxide production in BV-2 murine microglial cells. Compounds 1 and 6 exhibited the moderate activities with their IC50 values of 47.7 and 21.9 μM, compared to a positive control quercetin with the IC50 value of 16.0 μM.

The remarkable advance of all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) achieved in the past decades is primarily powered by the innovation of polymer acceptors. However, most of high-performance all-PSCs are dominantly fabricated with halogenated solvents, which are detrimental to human bodies and the environment. Herein, eco-friendly solvent-processed all-PSCs were developed, based on wide-bandgap polymer poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexylthio)thiophen-2-yl)-benzo-[1,2-b;4,5-b']dithiophene-alt-2,5-di(butyloctylthiophen-2-yl) -thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole] (PSTZ) as donor and newly synthesized narrow-bandgap polymer 5,6-dicyano-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole indacenodithiophene (DCNBT-IDT) as acceptor. When processed with o-xylene and THF, PSTZ : DCNBT-IDT-based all-PSCs yielded remarkable power conversion efficiencies of 7.23 and 8.77 % with high short-circuit currents of 12.94 and 14.12 mA cm-2 , respectively. The results indicated that the utilization of an all-polymer blend based on narrow polymer acceptor and compatible polymer donor is an effective strategy for advancing eco-friendly solvent-processed all-PSCs.

We investigated S. alterniflora saltmarshes in 10 regions to distinguish the major sources of soil organic carbon (SOC) and provide data for SOC content in Chinese coastal wetlands under exotic invasion. We collected soil and plant samples. We analyzed the soil properties for SOC content, recalcitrant organic carbon (RC), labile organic carbon (LC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total salinity and water content, as well as stable isotopic carbon composition (δ13C) in the SOC and RC. SOC and RC were determined using a Shimadzu TOC analyzer. We used δ13C values and C/N ratios of the SOC to identify carbon source inputs. The δ13C of the SOC and RC was measured using a Sercon Integra CN isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The results showed that the S. alterniflora saltmarsh SOC pool properties differed significantly between study areas, dependent upon local circumstances and carbon exchanges. The δ13C values of SOC in surface sediments from Tianjin to Guangxi were from −25.16 to −20.64‰, RC from −27.82 to −23.1‰, and C/N ratios between 11.36 and 19.00. These samples had SOC values of 14.77–23.95 g kg−1, RC values of 11.98–21.44 g kg−1, and LC values of 0.44–4.08 g kg−1. The SOC and RC of surface sediments were positively correlated with TN and TP. S. alterniflora saltmarsh SOC is derived from multiple carbon inputs including from marine and land sources and its formation is driven by complicated factors. TN and TP inputs increase SOC in coastal wetlands. Generally, terrigenous carbon inputs dominate the SOC composition in Chinese coastal wetlands, although marine-derived organic carbon (OC) inputs to sediment increase from northern to southern areas.

Developing proton–conducting electrolytes that are usable over a wide temperature range (25–150 °C) is highly desirable to enhance the efficiency of fuel cells for on-board automotive applications....

Brassica napus L. (B. napus) is an important oil crop worldwide and it rapidly accumulates oil at late stage of seed maturation. However, little is known about the cellular mechanism of oil accumulation and seed color changes during the late stage of rapeseed development. Here, we analyzed the ultrastructure of seed coat, aleurone and cotyledon in embryos of B. napus from 25 to 70 days after flowering (DAF). The pigments, which were deposited on the cell wall of palisade cells in seed coat, determined dark black color of rapeseed. The chloroplasts degenerated into non-photosynthetic plastids which caused the green cotyledon to turn into yellow. The chloroplasts in aleurone and cotyledon cells respectively degenerated into remnants without inner and outer envelope membranes and ecoplasts with intact inner and outer envelope membranes. From 40 to 70 DAF, there were degraded chloroplasts without thylakoid, oil bodies contacting with plastids or protein bodies, big starch deposits of chloroplasts degrading into small particles then disappearing, and small endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in aleurone and cotyledon cells. Additionally, there were decreases of chlorophyll content and dramatic increases of oil content in rapeseed. These results suggested that the rapid oil accumulation was independent on the NADPH synthesized by photosynthesis of chloroplasts and probably utilized other sources of reductant, such as the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway during the late stage of rapeseed development. The triacylglycerol assembly presumably utilizes the enzymes in the plastid, cytosol or oil body of cotyledon and aleurone cells.

Dinuclear ytterbium and erbium based bifunction complexes Ln2L2(depma2)Cl2 (1-Ln, Ln = Yb and Er, H2L = N1,N3-bis(salicylideneimino)diethylenetriamine, depma2 = dimerized 9-diethyl-phosphonomethylanthracene) are reported. They undergo thermo-induced consecutive phase transitions, first the dissociation of depma2 ligand forming LnL(depma)Cl (2-Ln) and then the release of chloroethane forming LnL(epma) (3-Ln, epma = 9-ethylphosphonomethylanthrancene). The structural transformations are accompanied with synergetic switch of the luminescence in visible and NIR regions and also magnetic dynamics.

Occludin protein is the primary assembling protein of TJs and the structural basis for tight junction formation between Sertoli cells in the spermatogenic epithelium. The expression of miR-122-5p and occludin are negatively correlated. In order to investigate the regulation mechanism of miR-122-5p on occludin and TJ, the present study isolated primary Sertoli cells from C57BL/6 mice, identified a transcription factor of miR-122-5p in testicle, studied the modulating loci of miR-122-5p on occludin using a dual-luciferase reporter assay, analyzed the regulate of miR-122-5p on the expression of occludin with real-time RT-PCR and Western blot, and studied the effect of miR-122-5p on the tight junction using a Millicell Electrical Resistance System.The relative luciferase activity in the pcDNA-Sp1 + pGL3-miR-122-5p promoter group was significantly higher than that in the pcDNA-Sp1 + pGL3-basic group, which suggests that transcript factor Sp1 promotes the transcription of miR-122-5p. The relative luciferase activity in the occludin 3'-UTR (wt) + miR-122-5p mimic group was significantly lower than that in the other groups (p 0.01), which indicates that miR-122-5p modulates the expression of occludin via the ACACTCCA sequence of the occludin-3'UTR. The levels of occludin mRNA and protein in the miR-122-5p mimic group were significantly lower than that in the other groups (p 0.05), which indicates that miR-122-5p reduces the expression of occludin. The trans-epithelial resistance of the miR-122-5p mimic group was significantly lower than that of the blank control group after day 4 (p 0.05), which indicates that miR-122-5p inhibited the assembly of the inter-Sertoli TJ permeability barrier in vitro.These results displayed that miR-122-5p could regulate tight junctions via the Sp1-miR-122-5p-occludin-TJ axis.CONTEXTE: La protéine occludine est. la principale protéine d’assemblage des jonctions serrées (JS), et la base structurelle pour la formation de ces jonctions entre les cellules de Sertoli dans l’épithélium séminifère. L’expression de miR-122-5p et de l’occludine sont négativement corrélées. Afin d’étudier le mécanisme de régulation de l’occludine et des TJ par miR-122-5p, nous avons, dans la présente étude, isolé des cellules primaires de Sertoli de souris C57BL/6, identifié un facteur de transcription de miR-122-5p dans le testicule, étudié les loci de miR-122-5p modulants l’occludine par le biais d’un système rapporteur à 2 luciférases, analysé la régulation de miR-122-5p sur l’expression de l’occludine par qRT-PCR et Western blot, et étudié l’effet de miR-122-5p sur les jonctions serrées à l’aide d’un Système de Résistance Electrique Millicell. RéSULTATS: L’activité relative de la luciférase dans le groupe du promoteur de pcDNA46 Sp1 + pGL3-miR-122-5p était significativement plus élevée que celle observée dans le groupe pcDNA-Sp1 + pGL3-basique, ce qui suggère que le facteur de transcription Sp1 favorise la transcription de miR-122-5p. L’activité relative de la luciférase dans le groupe 3′-UTR (wt) + miR-122-5p mimant l’occludine était significativement inférieure à celle des autres groupes (p 0,01), ce qui indique que miR-122-5p module l’expression de l’occludine via la séquence ACACTCCA en 3′ UTR de l’occludine. Les niveaux d’ARNm et de protéine occludine dans le groupe mimant miR-122-5p étaient significativement inférieurs à ceux des autres groupes (p 0,05), ce qui indique que miR-122-5p inhibe l’expression de l’occludine. La résistance transépithéliale du groupe mimant miR-122-5p était significativement inférieure à celle du groupe témoin vierge après le jour 4 (p 0.05), ce qui indique que miR-122-5p inhibe in vitro l’assemblage des jonctions serrées de la barrière de perméabilité inter-Sertolienne.Ces résultats montrent que miR-122-5p pourrait réguler les jonctions serrées via l’axe Sp1-miR-122-5p-occludine.

Vascular hypo-reactivity plays a critical role inducing organ injury during hemorrhagic shock. 17β-estradiol (E2) can induce vasodilation to increase blood flow in various vascular beds. This study observed whether E2 can restore vascular hypo-reactivity induced by hemorrhagic shock, and whether E2 effects are associated with RhoA-Rho kinase (ROCK)-myosin light chain kinase phosphatase (MLCP) pathway. The hemorrhagic shock model (40 ± 2 mm Hg for 1 h, resuscitation for 4 h) was established in ovary intact sham operation (OVI), ovariectomized (OVX), and OVX plus E2 supplement female mice. Intestinal microvascular loop was used to assess blood flow in vivo, mRNA expression and vascular reactivity in vitro. Hemorrhagic shock significantly reduced norepinephrine microvascular reactivity. Decreased microvascular reactivity was exacerbated by OVX and reversed by E2 supplement. U-46619 (RhoA agonist) increased microvascular reactivity, and C3 transferase (an ADP ribosyl transferase that selectively induces RhoA ribosylation) or Y-27632 (ROCK inhibitor) inhibited sham mice microvascular reactivity. Similarly, U-46619 increased microvascular reactivity in OVI and OVX mice following hemorrhagic shock, which was abolished by Y-27632 or concomitant incubation of okadaic acid (OA) (MLCP inhibitor) and Y-27632. In OVX plus E2 supplement mice with hemorrhagic shock, Y-27632 inhibited microvascular reactivity, which was abolished by concomitant U-46619 application. Lastly, hemorrhagic shock remarkably decreased intestinal loop blood flow, RhoA and ROCK mRNA expressions in vascular tissues in OVX females, but not in OVI females, which were reversed by E2 supplement. These results indicate that estrogen improves microvascular reactivity during hemorrhagic shock, and RhoA-ROCK signaling pathway may mediate E2 effects.

A new lignan, named sieverlignan C (1), as well as nine known compounds (2–10), were isolated from the leaves and stems of Artemisia sieversiana. The structure of the new lignan was elucidated from detailed spectroscopic analysis, including HR-MS, NMR, and circular dichroism experiments. All the compounds were isolated from the A. sieversiana plant for the first time.

Ethanol is the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages. As ethanol consumption increases from zero to very high, it is still unknown which metabolites are present at different times and which are essential to normal functioning. In this article, we used an intermittent-access 20% ethanol drinking paradigm to make Wistar male rats voluntarily drink large amounts of ethanol for 10, 20, 30, and 50 days, respectively. A hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance approach was used to investigate the time-dependent neurochemical metabolites spectra in the hippocampus, striatum, nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex. Multivariate pattern recognition techniques were used to analyze the hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra data. Metabolic profiling was obtained, differentiating the ethanol-treated and control rats. The ethanol-affected metabolites disrupted processes associated with neurotransmitters, oxidative stress, energy metabolism and amino acids. Together, our findings demonstrate broad, dynamic, and time-dependent endogenous metabolic alterations in rats treated with ethanol.

Herein, a functional class of microenvironment-associated nanomaterials is reported for improving the second near-infrared (NIR-II) imaging and photothermal therapeutic effect on intracranial tumors via a spontaneous membrane-adsorption approach. Specific peptides, photothermal agents, and biological alkylating agents were designed to endow the nanogels with high targeting specificity, photothermal properties, and pharmacological effects. Importantly, the frozen scanning electron microscopy technology (cryo-SEM) was utilized to observe the self-association of nanomaterials on tumor cells. Interestingly, the spontaneous membrane-adsorption behavior of nanomaterials was captured through direct imaging evidence. Histological analysis showed that the cross-linking adhesion in intracranial tumor and monodispersity in normal tissues of the nanogels not only enhanced the retention time but also ensured excellent biocompatibility. Impressively, in vivo data confirmed that the microenvironment-associated nanogels could significantly enhance brain tumor clearance rate within a short treatment timeframe (only two weeks). In short, utilizing the spontaneous membrane-adsorption strategy can significantly improve NIR-II diagnosis and phototherapy in brain diseases while avoiding high-risk complications.

Nanomaterials that respond to specific tumor microenvironments (TMEs), such as weakly acidic, hypoxia, and high glutathione (GSH), have shown promise in killing cancer cells with low toxicity and h...